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User Experience Workshop Promotes Collaboration During SAP Conference

I recently participated in SAP’s annual user conference, Sapphire NOW 2014. Held in Orlando, Florida, this event was attended by more than 25,000 participants – people interested in and working on the SAP platform to build out a range of applications.

My role at the conference was to participate in a workshop and provide a deep dive into the Mobile User Experience (UX) and the Consumerization of IT. I conducted this workshop with Nick Katzenbach, NTT DATA regional vice president, who provided the preliminary introduction of NTT DATA and discussed SAP and the consumerization of IT. From there I provided detail about the Mobile User Experience, the value of it, and the process we follow of engaging with customers to deliver successful User Experience solutions.

The discussion was hosted at one of Orange County Convention Center’s small theaters and was attended by conference attendees looking to promote a better User Experience in their SAP applications.

The feedback from the attendees was that SAP did not have a strong User Experience in its platform. They really wanted to understand what tools and processes they could use to make a stronger User Experience for their applications. I explained to them that the process that I’ve identified for User Experience and the methodology that we follow is one that works for a wide variety of applications, from consumer-based apps through enterprise apps, independent of the type of platform that you use. It helps you achieve results that are focused on your users’ needs and helps you increase the value of your apps for your users.

After the presentation, many of the attendees asked that I share the material that I presented, and asked some specific questions about how to resolve some issues related with their own work and User Experience. I really enjoyed that one-on-one time to connect with them as they are, after all, users concerned about their own users!

It was very beneficial to connect with the SAP community and share our experiences on implementing SAP solutions. This collaboration transcended the boundaries between companies that are often competing over opportunities, and included people from different cultures and those focused on different aspects of business opportunities. Overall, it united us in our goal of delivering successful SAP business solutions, and it was a great opportunity to connect with users of SAP and understand how they are using SAP – and to help them create a better experience for their users.